Chapter 530: How?

Brian’s flames roared outward, forcing the first knight to skid back with his shield glowing red from the heat.

But the others pressed in immediately.

In this group there were five physical fighters and two mages.

Two knights, one wielded a spear and the other used a sword.

Two archers.

One martial artist with dual blades.

Two mages. One wind mage and one earth mage.

It was not a bad match up.

An arrow streaked from the mist.

Brian twisted aside, his sword flashing up in one smooth motion.

Clang!

Sparks hissed as steel deflected wood and iron, the shaft breaking in half against his blade. He hardly had time to breathe before another arrow came whistling in, followed by a third.

Brian sword blurred, cutting the missiles aside even as he spread fire underfoot to keep the spear-wielder at bay.

The martial artist rushed in next, twin blades glinting. Brian’s sword snapped forward with a sharp clang, catching one dagger on the flat before a gout of flame burst from his free hand, forcing the fighter to retreat with singed sleeves.

The second knight charged, heavy sword raised high.

Brian stepped sideways, agile as a cat, his blade turning the strike just enough for the weight to crash harmlessly into the ground.

His heel snapped up, boot slamming into the knight’s chest to send him staggering back—only for the earth beneath Brian’s feet to tremble.

Crack!

Stone surged upward, jagged spikes ripping toward his ankles.

The earth mage.

Brian hissed through his teeth, fire erupting beneath him in a violent burst that launched him backward, boots skidding across stone. But the retreat carried him right into a spray of shimmering droplets. The water mage’s spell hissed through the air like rain, clinging to his flames and dulling their bite.

"Che!" Brian spat, thrusting his palm forward. Heat blazed from his fingertips, evaporating the water in a flash of steam.

But in that moment, the archers loosed again—two arrows in sync.

Brian raised his sword, steel ringing as he barely deflected one, twisting his body as the other scraped against his shoulder.

"Damn pests..."

Flames curled tighter around him, fierce enough that even the martial artist flinched back. But Brian’s mind was sharp, calculating even through the chaos.

The five physical fighters weren’t coordinated, their timing a mess, their rhythm sloppy.

One pressed in, the others lagged, their formation constantly broke. Yet their sheer

numbers

and the covering fire from the two mages forced him into a frantic rhythm.

Every second was spent parrying, dodging, or burning through another wave.

Brian sword moved in perfect harmony with his fire—sometimes deflecting steel, other times carving through arrows, always just enough to survive the press. But the truth was written in the tension of his jaw.

They were dragging him down.

Brian’s flames roared, his sword a blur of silver as it cut through arrows, sparks scattering in the haze.

The martial artist darted in again, twin blades flashing. Brian twisted, his blade catching one, fire exploding from his palm to drive the fighter back. He barely turned in time to parry the knight’s spear thrust, the impact ringing sharp through his wrist.

Arrows hissed from the side—he slashed two down, the third clipping across his arm. Pain burned, but his counterstrike was faster: his free hand flared, a fire spear erupting and skewering the careless archer through the chest.

[Hunter Eliminated — +1 Attribute to All Stats]

The press eased. Slightly.

Brian’s breath came harder, but his grin cut sharp in the mist. "One down."

Then—

Schhhk!

A scream split the battlefield as the earth mage toppled, a jagged spear of bone jutting from his chest. His body dissolved into golden light before it even hit the ground.

Brian’s eyes widened, head snapping back.

Behind the Hunters, a shadow stepped free of the fog, spear dripping with ghostly pale energy.

Michael.

For a moment, Brian thought he was hallucinating. Of all things,

this fool had come back?

A harsh laugh built in his chest even as he pivoted, fire bursting outward to force back the surviving Hunters.

So stupid. But useful.

With the mages gone, the pack’s edge dulled. Their arrows still bit, their blades still pressed, but without elemental cover they staggered. Brian’s sword cut cleaner, his fire burned hotter. One by one, the Hunters fell, dissolved into fragments of light until only two figures remained in the glowing mist.

Brian and Michael.

Brian straightened, chest rising and falling.

This virtual space had a way to.even replicate weakness.

His blade dipped, but fire still curled hot around Brian hand. Across from him, Michael stood calm, spear in hand, his eyes as sharp as blades themselves.

A scoff escaped Brian, followed by a low chuckle. "You really are a fool. Coming back here, thinking you’ll take advantage of me now that I’m tired? Don’t think I don’t know your plan." His grin widened, savage. "Don’t think I’ll go down that easy."

He thrust out a hand, mana surging, a fireball blooming bright and hot. The flames exploded forward—

—only for his senses to scream.

"...What?!"

Michael was gone.

His attack detonated against empty fog. Brian’s head snapped up, instincts blazing alarms through his chest. For some reason, his opponent wasn’t where he had been—he was above.

Through the haze, Michael’s form dropped like a spear of shadow, cloak whipping, spear poised to strike.

Teleportation?!

Brian’s heart hammered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

*

Michael’s grip on the spear tightened, his eyes fixed on Brian through the haze. His chest rose slowly, steady and calm—but inside, his thoughts burned.

This will be the first time I try it in real combat...

A skill he had unlocked long ago, but never risked in a real fight and here, against Brian? There was no better chance to test it.

Michael exhaled. His body blurred faintly, the edges of his frame warping as though mist itself was sliding off him. Then—he vanished.

[Phase Shift]

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